Monday, December 26, 2016

I don´t think any CEO (or, for that matter, any layperson) would disagree with me if I said that being trusted is a powerful asset for a business. It makes sense that if you are in business, you would want your customers, employees, shareholders, the regulators, the man on the street and media to trust you, rather than the other way around.We can relate to trust because we exercise it all the
time in our everyday lives. Think about our willingness to pay more
for organic vegetables because we believe these specially grown
produce are better for our health. And in my case, my faith in the UK
retailer Marks & Spencer when I was a trainee accountant in
London many years ago, on their promise of no-questions-asked refunds
for returned goods.

But when it comes to their own organizations, many
business leaders struggle to place a value on being trusted. They
might think that it’s a good-to-have, but practically impossible to
measure. They most likely agree that trust is important but perhaps
not urgent, especially in a time of severe cost pressures, talent
woes and depressed market conditions.

I firmly believe that trust can be a tangible asset for
a business, one that can grow the bottom line and which will see you
through the difficult times. So what if I were to say that there is
a way to measure trust – and that it does bring
quantifiable and long-term financial benefit to your business?

Can you measure trust?

Over the past few years, PwC has conducted research, run
focus groups and talked to both leading experts as well as the
everyday person on the topic of trust. Our question was: what makes
up trust in a business – and can it be quantified?

We found that trust could indeed be measured. For many
people, trust could be boiled down to three key elements. When
considering if a company should be called trustworthy, people are
looking for:

· Competence – Does the organization
do what it says it will?

People expect companies to be reliable and transparent.
A fast-food company should be upfront about the possibility their
delivery will be delayed, for example. In cases of major delay,
companies should be forthright about not even accepting the
customer’s order. Fast food is supposed to be “fast”, after
all.

· Experience – Does the organization
keep its promises?

Companies are expected to be responsive, to listen to
public feedback, to make the necessary improvements and treat
customers as individuals. (My experience with Marks & Spencer’s
high-quality and consistent customer service comes to mind again.)

· Values – Do you believe in the
organization?

People want brands to understand their needs, to hold
the right sort of principles and to care about their impact on
society. Clothing retailers that source their cotton from fair trade
suppliers are increasingly in demand because they are not seen to be
exploiting cheap labour and because their products will benefit
small-scale agricultural workers.

Why does trust matter?

Many of us can immediately call to mind the damage that
happens to your brand when you lose trust – think of a recent
vehicle emissions scandal as one example. But what of the opposite?
What’s the positive financial impact of having existing trust with
customers, employees, investors?

The first is customer loyalty. To quote the World
Economic Forum’s Leadership, Trust and Performance Equation
Project, trust drives 22% to 44% of overall customer loyalty.
Research shows that organisations with loyal customers are twice as
likely to exceed the forecasts of financial analysts.

Then there are your employees, often your most prized
asset. In Fortune’s 100 Best Places to Work study, they found that
top-ranked companies who were better trusted by their people,
experience up to 50% less staff turnover than their competitors.
Looking at the results over the past 10 years, higher trust scores
and profits are actually correlated.

In the face of all this evidence, you many wonder what
(if anything) businesses and their people can do about their level of
trustworthiness. Is it possible to purposefully and methodically
build your reservoir of trust with the stakeholders that matter to
you?

Can you build trust?

The answer is of course a yes. And I don’t think it
has to be complicated. Because trust is an age-old concept, one that
is at the root of any successful relationship. Often, I’ve found
that the steps to create trust can be simple, and are the same
whether applied in our personal or professional lives. First, we have
to behave in a trustworthy manner, consistently; second, we need to
hear (and not just say that we “listen” to) our stakeholders;
third, we should be clear about the sorts of values our organisation
espouses. Yet, many leaders may struggle with keeping this consistent
across their organisations, and perhaps that’s because trust
building hasn’t yet been part of their business agenda.

My parting point is this. Beyond the fact that being
trusted or trustworthy can bring your business immeasurable benefit,
there is a more ethereal reason at stake here – where matters of
the heart come into play.

Think of the numerous tales that have gone viral of good
Samaritans on the road, strangers helping stranded fellow road users
change their tyres While these are simple acts, today we are so used
to being cautioned against road rage and carjacking, that hearing
there are still people who only mean well, is heart-warming to say
the least.

These stories resonate with all of us. The fact is in
today’s climate there seems to be a real lack of faith in
institutions - all over the world and closer to home in Malaysia.
Yet, there is a deep desire in all of us to be able to put our faith
in something.

So why can’t businesses be that something?

My challenge then to corporate leaders and those in
business really is to bet our bottom dollar on trust-building,
because it does make a difference. In my books, at the end of the
day, it’s the only thing that does matter.

Tuesday, December 20, 2016

Dic, 19, 2016

communications@hgsca.org

HGSCA is pleased to announce the appointment of Soledad Tanner as its new Vice President. This is the first of several new key appointments to the organization’s leadership team.

Soledad developed her extensive 26 years global finance career while working for Deutsche Post DHL (DP DHL), world headquarters in Bonn, Germany, as well as across America. As Global Director of Strategy, Performance & Metrics, HR she worked directly for a DP DHL board member. After DP DHL, she founded Soledad Tanner Consulting (STC), a consultancy that seeks to improve the profit and productivity of businesses. STC provides a diagnostic and implementation plan as well as coordinates the implementation of recommendations. (Source: Linkedin)

Luis Moyano, President of HGSCA, stated, “Soledadis another excellent addition to the HGSCA team as we continue planning for the year 2017. During her time in HGSCA as the Director of Public Relations, she helped to achieve the completion of many of the 2016 projects. Soledad's leadership and experience in successfully develop global business strategies with exposure to multicultural environments, financial Controlling, business plans,

project management execution to name a few, will play a key role for us as we prepare for the launch of new important projects that will benefit our communities."

Ms. Tanner succeeded former President in charge and Vice-President, Mr. Ernesto Cedeno, who was appointed as the new Vice President of HGSCA chapter Guayaquil in November 2016. Mr.Cedeño departed to Guayaquil last November after taking the oath of office as the new Vice-President for Guayaquil.

About Me

Soledad Tanner Consulting, LLC is a Business & Financial Management Consulting firm. We work with small businesses, professionals and corporations interested in maximizing their PROFIT & PRODUCTIVITY. We support clients with solutions, knowledge and expertise so they stay competitive in the market, optimizing their business and achieving their goals.
We offer 3 solutions:
1. Business Consulting: To grow and ensure results. We review current company results in order to DISCOVER opportunities for growth and/or efficiencies.
2. Financial Management: To reach full financial potential. We coach & guide businesses to maximize profits.
3. Productivity Solutions: To increase your outputs. We support management in order to increase productivity and optimize efficiencies.